


the course of fate

by eugyne (AreteNike)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, For A Zine, M/M, Time Travel, i wrote this shortly before s3 which was a longass time ago oh my god. what. how
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 10:19:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14353458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AreteNike/pseuds/eugyne
Summary: Yesterday was two years into the future, and Shiro was dead.Written for the Between Two Points Sheith zine!





	the course of fate

**Author's Note:**

> this was written shortly before s3 came out. all similarities to stuff thats happened since s2, especially in dialogue, are honest to god coincidences. you arent going to believe me when you read this but i _s w e a r . . ._
> 
> anyway it was accompanied by some fab art by amegafuru/captainjunta! who has not to my knowledge posted it yet, ill link it here when/if its available

Keith wakes up, his first day at the Garrison, with the vague sense he’s done this before.

He goes through the motions, checking in and getting oriented with everyone else; then he sees Shiro, just a glimpse from across the room, and it clicks.

Yesterday was two years into the future, and Shiro was dead.

He may not remember _how_ he got here but he’s not going to let that happen again.

Most things he lets proceed as they will. His first chance at change comes when the Kerberos mission is announced, though when Shiro mentions he's applying for it and grins Keith already knows it's a lost cause. He takes every opportunity to disparage the mission anyway, to talk up other opportunities, until finally Shiro confronts him on it.

"I just have a bad feeling about it," is all he can say. "Like something terrible will happen if you go."

"Any mission is risky," Shiro concedes, "but I think it's worth it."

He still goes, and he still goes missing. Keith doesn't wait for the Garrison to kick him out, just up and leaves for the shack in the desert.

The following year is simultaneously better and worse than last time, because he knows what's coming.

"How did you know to come save me when I crashed?" Shiro asks once Keith finally has him back.

"I had a feeling," Keith says. He's not as open about his findings this time around, but fate still runs its course.

"Are we sure about this?" he asks at the blue lion's cave. He doesn’t know how the universe will fare without them, but—he thinks, guiltily—it's lasted this long, hasn't it?

"It's important we find Voltron before the aliens do." Shiro places a hand on his shoulder as the others head in. "Is something wrong?"

Keith looks away. "Remember before Kerberos, when I told you I thought something terrible would happen?"

"You couldn't have predicted any of this, Keith," Shiro says gently, like that isn't exactly what he's done.

"I was right, though, wasn't I?" says Keith. "What if I'm right about this too?"

"Then we'll handle whatever comes," Shiro says. It doesn’t help.

Twice now Keith has failed to change the course of fate. If he fails again, Shiro will die, and all this will be for nothing.

"I _won't_ let him die this time," he says to the red lion when he finds her, because she remembers too. She tells him _good luck,_ but offers no advice; she has none.

When the time comes to meet with the Blade of Marmora, Keith leaves his knife in his lion. No trials, no alliance; no alliance, no final mission. Except without the interruption they get their alliance faster, and they see his knife later anyway. He still goes through the trials.

When he gets out of the healing pod he goes straight to the training deck and fights until he's too exhausted to move, then flings the stupid blade against the wall. The others strategize without him, not that he could've convincingly argued against a plan he already knows will work.

He's out of time.

Shiro hugs him tightly before they set out against Zarkon. Keith mutters, "I don't think this is a good idea," into his shoulder.

"Another bad feeling?" Shiro's voice is muffled against his hair. "I'm sure it'll work out, Keith."

He sighs. "Please… sit this one out."

Shiro leans back, but doesn't let go. "Why?"

Because I remember this, Keith wants to say. Because I've lost you too many times already, and I can't bear for it to happen again.

"Because I _love you_ ," is what comes out, though he hadn't known it until that moment.

That makes Shiro pause. Then he tugs Keith in close, and Keith tries not to cry.

"I love you too," Shiro says.

But then he pulls away, and Keith’s heart pulls apart.

"But there's too much at stake."

"Shiro..."

Shiro smiles, and kisses Keith's forehead. "I'll come back safe. We all will."

"Just this once," Keith whispers. "Please trust me."

"I do trust you."

"Then don't _go_."

"I have to. Voltron needs all five of us."

Keith shakes his head. Shiro cups his cheek and smiles, and walks away.

"Don't you _dare_ die," Keith calls after him, caught somewhere between anger and despair.

Shiro turns and walks backwards. "I promise!" he calls back, and then he gets in his lion and Keith has to, too.

He hardly breathes the entire mission.

When it's over and Shiro isn't responding the only thing that gets Keith moving is the strength Red lends him. This time, though, the black lion won’t even let him in to see.

The rest of the team starts theorizing, but he already knows.

He failed.

"If... something happened," Allura says, "There is a way to get him back. An ancient ritual to reset time—"

And Keith remembers. He remembers Allura doing the ritual, using all of her quintessence, dying just to give him this wasted chance.

"You did," he interrupts her. "You already did it."

Silence. He doesn't look up.

"Oh, _Keith_ ," she says.

"Two years," he whispers. "And I couldn't..." Something brushes against his mind, distracting him: reassurance.

Then the black lion opens its mouth, and _Shiro is there,_ stumbling out, disheveled but  _alive._ He sees Keith and smiles.

"I promised," he says, and Keith can't hold back his tears anymore. He doesn't see Allura ushering the rest of the team away, or the black lion stepping back; he sees only Shiro, who comes and holds him tightly.

"Black told me everything," he says. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you. And... thank you. For saving my life. If you hadn't warned me..."

"I would've done it all again," says Keith. "As many times as I had to."

"Then I hope I can be worthy of that."

“Shiro.” Keith reaches up, pulls Shiro's face down to his level to look him in the eye. "You already are."

Their first kiss is there on the floor of the hangar, while they're still covered in the sweat and grime of battle, but there is no doubt in Keith's mind that this is worth it.

Shiro will always be worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> tbh i think some of the earlier drafts of this flowed better but... space constraints. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> find me on tumblr [@maternalcube](http://maternalcube.tumblr.com/)  
> also this is totally irrelevant but go check out [mattzine!!](https://vldmattzine.tumblr.com/)


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